Bad news....

I washed my car today and evidently water got into the lense and I had condensation inside my lense!

I got the camera off the car and try to take out the plastic lense, in the process almost destroyed the metal tube mount that the lense sits on. I also scratched the lense.

I finally got the lense off and wiped off all the moisture. I applied some plastic polish and removed the scratch somewhat.

I seal the lense by applying some silicone sealants all around in the channel where the plastic lense sits. I then snap the lense back in place.

My backup camera now looks like crap... but at least it's sealed...

 

Should bitch to ebay seller... aren't these marketed as waterproof

that sux, sorry

 

Kenny_C....did you happen to wash the car after operating the camera? If you wet a warm lens (from the heat generated by using the camera), then condensation can form inside the lens. Concerns me because I just installed the same camera you did from wendy on ebay and was about to wash my car! sorry to hear that...did it affect the operation of the camera?

 

no.. it's not caused by miosture in the air trapped within... The moisture covered 1/2 to 3/4 of the lense. And I washed my car at least twice before I found moisture within the camera.

Yes.. everything sas blurry and that's how I noticed it.

When I was taking out the plastic lense I found the lense is not sealed at all! Basically the lense is just snapped into the metal tube without gasket or o-ring.

It's imposible to remove the lense without destroying the metal tube. However, I think it's possible to seal the lense to the tube with drops of crazy glue.

I think using a toothpick to apply the crazy glue might be a good idea. Just let the crazy glue flow into the seam and it should seal the tube.

 

I don't have the camera, but I would use silicone caulking, not Super Glue. Those types of glues outgas, and leave a white film around the area they are used (could happen under the lens).

 

I stand corrected....

 

Kennyc, I agree with moreace, but I would contact eBay and Paypal (assuming this is how you paid) and file a fraud complaint against her and make a claim for a refund of the your cost. I believe this item was offered with Paypal protection.

I did the same thing against a seller when he sent me an item different than the item pictured or described. Paypal sent me a refund.

Thanks for letting the rest of us know about Wendy's cameras and good luck!

Let us know how things turn out......

 

I emailed Wendy about the water resistant statement in her auction. But looking at the instruction that came with the camera it seems Wendy just copied the spec off of it.

 

OK...OK...OK....I was a bit concerned when I saw the witch-hunt start to form over the ebay seller and fraud, ect. People....WATER RESISTANT IS NOT WATER PROOF! A regular camera that had a coat of wax on it could be marketed as water resistant.....water proof is another thing entirely....which in fact...is what you need in the application. Live and learn...dont blame the ebay seller though? I see no fraud here? Just people that learned that water resistant is different than water proof!

 

kenny, did you use a pressure sprayer or high pressure nozzle to wash your car?

 

dang....I was just about to do this Mod too. Kennyc, do you recommend I not do it anymore?

Also, I looked at Wendy's auction on E-Bay and it does indeed say Water Proof and not just Water Resistant.

 

If it says it is waterproof....then send it back....she should make good on a claim like this then. It is her words...even if copied from literature. I sell on ebay too (foodservice stuff) and a claim like this should then be brought to the sellers atn for a refund....no doubt....and she should make no qualms about it.

 

regular garden hose.... no high pressure washer.

 

I don't know... the mod is definitely worthwhile but we need to keep an eye on the camera. It's definitely not waterproof - it's barely water-resistant.

I did fixed mine (and more than likely won't/can't return it.) But others might not want to go the same route as me.

 

what if we put silicon or some type of epoxy where the lens and case meets prior to installing it....will that help??

 

This isn't a witch-hunt. It is a consumer protecting his right to merchandise as described. Kennyc bought and paid for this camera in good faith because it was listed as "waterproof". Considering this camera was not cheap and she stated "waterproof" in the title and the before the MFG data, this was clearly “misrepresented” and Kennyc should be entitled to compensation. Unfortunately her return policy states exchange only which does Kennyc no good. Unless the seller is willing to replace the camera, Kennyc will have no alternative but to file to get compensation.

As to the filing to eBay and Paypal, still no witch-hunt! As you know, to begin this process, he would file a claim stating the item “was not as described” and eBay and Paypal would require the buyer to contact the seller first to see if a amicable resolution could be found which is what he has begun. If a satisfactory resolution can not be meet, kennyc could file for reimbursement through Paypal (if this is how he paid). Once they get involved, they will attempt to contact the seller to get their side of the [issue. Paypal will then make the final judgement whether Kennyc gets a refund or not based on their investigation.

To be fair, the fact that Kennyc disassembled the camera (in other words, tampered with it) before contacting the seller first, may have complicated or voided any resolution owed him, again, it’s an issue for seller, eBay or Paypal to decide.

This seller may not know of the problem and may bend over backwards to correct the problem and take the opportunity to edit the item description for future sales which would be great! On the other hand, the seller may know about the problem but may choose to ignore or refuse responsibility for this issue… only time will tell.

Kennyc, if you could, please keep us informed as to how this situation turns out.

Thanks and good luck!

 

yes. I took out the lense and fill the groove with silicone sealant and pop the lense back. So far so good.

 

CAHobbs, thanks for the information.

I will post once I hear back from Wendy.

 

kenny....after looking at the cameras, any suggestion on waterproofing them without removing the lense?

Perhaps some kind of clear overlay could be applied and sealed around the lense housing (not the entire camera)...there's gotta be a way to do it. I refuse to be S.O.L. b/c depending on where I'm at, I use a garden hose and sometimes even a high pressure nozzle to wash my car...keep us posted.

 

I used clear silicone sealant (caulk) - the ones you use in bathrooms - except "clear".

I got it from home depot.

The downside of using that is it sticks to everything and very messy. It's also hard to clean up.

But the upside is it does what it said.

I guess I would apply the sealant around the seams and wait for it to dry. You can then easily remove the excess off the lense.

 

It just seems like it would show on the image. I'm imagining a solution that is wrapped over the seam, and sealed around the side of the lense or camera housing itself.

 

MichaelBenz: If it says it is waterproof....then send it back....she should make good on a claim like this then. It is her words...even if copied from literature. I sell on ebay too (foodservice stuff) and a claim like this should then be brought to the sellers atn for a refund....no doubt....and she should make no qualms about it.Today 11:36 AM


Uhhh.....isnt that what I said in WAY less words or did you not read the post above. At first...it was stated here that it was water resistant...then it was corrected after somebody checked.....couldnt agree with you more! And if the seller knows about this...they are NOT a good ebay seller and their feedback will most likely show this somewhere.....unless they are new. I would agree though...advertised as waterproof...ought to be waterproof. If it doesnt work as advertised.....then the seller should return your funds HANDS down with no other questions....chaulk it up to a learning experience...and maybe change the auction wording to reflect reality for the next purchaser! It is only good business~!

 

For those of you needing to silicone around the lens of your cameras, here's something you can try.

Using the light purple low tack painters masking tape available at most hardware stores (you can use the blue but it's tackier), cut a circle of the tape to cover the clear lens leaving a small gap all the way around the edges. This gap will allow the silicon to seal over joint where the lens and barrel meet.

Now you can apply the silicon without worrying about getting it on the lens. Allow the silicon to flow slightly over the tape and using a toothpick smooth it down. After about 10 minutes the silicon should have skinned over, now take a needle and lift up the edge of the tape and remove slowly.

If it won't peel clean, take an Exacto knife and score the silicon along the tape. This should leave a thin clean edge around the lens that should not be visible by the camera.

 

Good news...

I installed my TEIN coilovers last night with EDFC...got an alignment a few hours ago...this is the best money I've spent on the car so far.

and more good news...

I just washed the car for the first time with the camera. I ripped off a small piece of a plastic grocery bag, covered the camera and tucked it up right above the license plate. When I got to the trunk, i just wrung out my wash mitt a bit and washed the trunk around the camera. Everythings clean and the camera didn't get wet! It seems like the trim above the license plate would keep the rain out, so I'll continue using my homemade camera condom when washing the car until I can find something better Thanks for the heads up, kenny!

 

hehe... camera condom... now I have heard everything!

 

you know, i was laughing at your reply, and then I got to thinking...what is the name for the finger condoms? I don't know what they're used for, but have heard and seen them before. This might actually work for washing the car...just a random thought

 

"What is profalactics" Alex?

 

You are talking about a finger cott. This is the name you would want to search for on the net or in the local drug store. Commonly used in foodservice to cover cuts, ect. before putting on gloves as an additional barrier (if you are dealing with an establishment using proper ServSafe Practices like they should be).

 

awesome. Thanks, MichaelB. That's exactly what I was thinking of.

 

kenny, check this out.

I looked at Misumi's site and they list that they camera is water-proof (IP67). I looked up IP67 and found this: IP67 definition

The only thing I'm not sure about is which camera you have. Your image is definitely narrower than the 44R. In fact, it's more like the 24R; however, neither the 44R or the 24R have the junction box shown in your install pictures. Our cameras consisted only of wiring- no box. Or is that box in your pics your video switch/doms unit?

 

Thanks for the link - good info.

what junction box?!? the only box in my pics is Dom's video box.

Well... I've been talking to Wendy and it seems that she spoke with the manufacturers as well as dipping one of her camera into a bucket of water for 24 hour and no water got in.

I don't think or expect Wendy to do anything else at this point. I am happy with my fixed camera.

 

Okay, I figured it was probably dom's box.

Good deal. I'm glad she was able to help you. I'll have to wash the car minus the camera condom...lol...next time and let you know what happens.

btw, sometimes I get some noise in the form of horizontal lines on my screen. It's not terrible, but it is noticeable sometimes. Anyone else seeing this? I figure the noise is due to a bad ground or interference from nearby cables. I'll be troubleshooting in the next few weeks.

 

I have the same camera as kenny and I have washed the car at least 3 times after installing it and I have had no issues yet. Maybe kenny just got the bad camera in the batch. You should ask for a replacement.

 

good to know. Thanks

 

I washed my car the day before kennyc started this thread so naturally I ran to the garage and checked my camera. I was relieved to find that there was no moisture or condensation in it.
While rinsing the car, I used a nozzle sprayer and sprayed the license plate directly but not the camera. The camera got wet but water never made it inside.


ITL, I haven't experienced any interference as some people have mentioned but I believe it is probably interference from a motor near your cable run, perhaps the NAVDVD-rom drive in the trunk. I don't know how you have yours wired up but see if you have room to repostion the cables. I'm using Dom's interface box and I didn't mount it on anything. I just wrapped it in batting and wedged it in a crevice in the lower right rear fender behind the dvd-rom drive. Let us know if you find a fix.

 

I have had the camera on my car for almost a year. This week I took it to the dealer to get an oil change. They washed my car and now my camera lens has water in it. They washed my car previously and this did not happen before. This may happen to everyone's camera eventually. I am going to have to try and take it apart to dry it out and then seal it. Hopefully i can do it without breaking it.

 

yeah i sealed mine the day i installed it. no problems so far, and i wash my car 1 or 2 times a week.

 

Are you all talking about the OEM camera. I washed my '07 for the first time after buying it yesterday. I just checked it and didnt see any condensation. Now I am worried about getting it wet.

 

No, this is for 04-06 users

 

Specifically the camera bought from "wendy" from ebay. I really wish i would have sealed it.

Kennyc, can you let me know how you got yours apart?

What is wierd is that I have washed my car quite a few times myself and the dealer has washed it before also. I am not sure why this happened now. I cannot really see out of it right now when it's dark. The light from the reverse lights are amplified and it is pretty much all I can see.